


The Speedster and The Scientist

by ODeorainFan2150



Series: Watchpoint [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Injury, Mentor/Protégé, No One Is Perfect, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Recall, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-08-19 09:32:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16531964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ODeorainFan2150/pseuds/ODeorainFan2150
Summary: Three stories investigating the friendship of Lena Oxton and Moira O'Deorain.





	1. Morning in Geneva

**Author's Note:**

> So this is one of my favourite pair of characters to interact with and write for. I hope you enjoy.

Moira liked the mornings here.

They had never mentioned it, when they recruited her from her position at King’s College, just how stunning the views from the hab-block at the Geneva headquarters were. How you could be sitting on your balcony, gazing out over the mountains and valleys, the steep sides covered in green as the sun rose us through the mist. It was a far cry from the bumps they called hills back in Ireland and definitely a nice change from the urban sprawl that had been London. Here there was quiet.

Yet, there was also activity. From her perch, Moira could see down to one of the drill squares, commonly used as exercise spaces on the weekend. Today there was just one figure actually using it for that purpose, running endless loops in her blue tracksuit, the gold stripe down her legs glinting in the light. Fareeha was back from Egypt for tonight’s event but still taking time to keep up with her training regime. Taking another drag of her cigarette, Moira had to work hard to rid herself of the image of Ana’s daughter just after a workout, sweat rolling down her body as she towelled herself off. Those dark eyes staring back at her, daring her to make a move. She could almost imagine herself doing it, running her hands across that muscular back, gripping that black hair with those golden beads in her fist as she pulled the other woman in for a kiss.

Instead, she distracted herself with more people watching. She couldn’t help but smile when she noticed Genji and McCree sat on the sidelines. The cowboy seemed to be cheering her on, hooting and hollering as he usually did. In contrast, she could see Genji meditating, sat in the lotus pose. She smiled at this - perhaps some inner peace would stop him being a miserable git for a few hours. Beyond them, Gabriel and Jack were heading out for one of their treks, rucksacks hanging over their shoulders as the discussed something.

Her mind, however, couldn’t be halted from wandering to the problem dozing in her bed.

She never normally brought people back to her apartment after meeting them in town. Security credentials did a good job of stopping her stranger lovers at the gate. But that hadn’t been the case with last night’s hanger-on, cheerily pulling out the ID tag from around her own neck as Moira had half carried, half directed her through the checkpoint. Her grating accent echoed through the night as she was manoeuvred back to the hab.

Moira sighed deeply. It had just meant to be a quiet drink, maybe a quick encounter with someone whose eyes lingered on her for too long. There would be a pull on their hand, a whisper in their ear and some quality time in the private room downstairs that she had the key to. It would end the same way each time, redoing the belt on her slacks, a kiss on the forehead of her partner as she watched them struggle to stand. Then the usual look of amusement on the bartender’s face when she’d return upstairs, a glass of whiskey already waiting to wash the taste out of her mouth. She smiled at the image she’d cultivated, sitting in the corner in her usual booth, the lights slightly dimmed, her long limbs giving her the look of some trickster demon from myth.

But this one? This one had disrupted all that. Moira had arrived to find a miserable creature sat in her corner, a far cry from the boisterous and talkative person whose chatter, especially in a confined space, could be infuriating. Her head bowed, staring into the beer in front of her as if she was searching for answers, two more pints sat on the table in case she didn’t find what she’d been looking for. It was also strange to see her without the armoured chest piece on, the bulky object dominating her small frame. Instead, there had just been the faint glow of blue, peeking from inside her pilot’s jacket. She’d leaned heavily on the table, only moving back once the doctor had sidled in across from her.

Moira looked back at the bed, watching the covers rise and fall, the spikes of brown hair poking out. She’d always seen they had much in common, and the conversation last night had just driven the point home. Their relationship with their family when they were younger, the first discoveries about girls when they were teenagers, the escapades in their early 20’s, Moira at university, her drinking partner in the armed forces. They both avoided discussing work, although the younger girl may have let slip someone she had a crush on someone within Overwatch. It backed up Moira’s guess that they had a similar taste in women, confirmed when a blonde in a short skirt dragged both sets of eyes across the room as she passed.

But Moira could also see the other similarities. They were both highly motivated and skilled, pushing to reach the top of their field at a very young age. They both disregarded the usual clothing typically assigned to their gender, Moira preferring her suits while the other went for the more punk look when not in her equipment. They both also hid their true feelings behind a mask, Moira using smug superiority, the little pilot sticking with being eternally cheerful. But most importantly for this evening, both could drink. They had proved that by the time last orders came round, leaning on each other as they hailed a taxi.

Once on base, she’d been about to drop her drunken partner back off at her room when suddenly she’d felt small hands latching onto her. A whisper, something about not wanting to sleep alone. It turned out she could be very clingy when she wanted to and so Moira had reluctantly brought her back here. After giving her a glass of water to fight the worse of the oncoming hangover, the doctor had carefully directed her to the bed.

As soon as she touched the satin covers, the Brit started stripping, throwing her leather jacket and jeans onto the floor before pulling off her tank top and hurling it at Moira. Amused, she had stopped to watch the attempt at a striptease that ended with the younger woman braless but still clad in her boxers, lying under the covers. Moira paused just for a moment before she started preparing the sofa bed but her partner had interrupted, a quiet voice from the darkness.

“Please Moira. I don’t want to be alone, not tonight.”

After a moment of hesitation, Moira nodded, getting down to her underwear and joining her under the covers. Initially, the taller woman had lain with a small gap between them, cautious about moving closer. However, two small hands had grabbed her wrists, pulling those long arms over her shoulders, forcing her into a hug. Taking this as a request, Moira had pulled the smaller girl in tight, wrapping her arms around the little spoon.

Before they had both drifted off, Moira had heard a small voice. The sound, so pitiful, just made her grip tighter, pushing her warmth onto her partner, pressing her face into the mop of brown hair beneath her.

“Thank you”

Naturally, Moira had woken up first, cursing herself for not closing the blinds and preventing the burning strip of sunlight on her face. She was lucky her partner had shifted in the night, making her task of freeing herself from the bed much easier. Clad in her robe, she started tidying things up, piling the scattered clothes together. When she’d picked up the jacket, feeling the cracked leather under her fingers and the soft synthetic fur in her palm, two items had fallen out.

The first was the chronal anchor, an angry red light blinking, warning one of the battery packs needed recharging. She would never tell him but silently she praised Winston for using a standard plug for it, moving her tablet out the way to let the vital piece of life-saving machinery get back to full power.

Part of Moira, the part that got her into trouble with ethics boards and funding departments, was fascinated with the pilot. She wanted to study her, pull her apart piece by piece, see how the chronal fluctuations had affected her at a genetic level and how best those changes could be replicated. It took a bit of willpower to remind her that she was talking about someone who’d poured their soul out to her the day before, someone who had curled up beside her with tears rolling down their cheeks.

The other item was a small folded photo, one of the old polaroid style instant prints. For a moment, Moira hesitated. There was a fine line between idle curiosity and looking for trouble, and she had never been very good at finding it. She debated in her head, eventually tucking her thumb under the fold and levering it flat.

The image could have been a WW2 propaganda poster. An aviator standing dramatically about to enter the cockpit of their steed. The pilot had aviators on, dark lenses covering her eyes, but still obviously wide with excitement. Despite the fact she was about to put it into a helmet, her hair was a spiked fan, rising above her head. A blue flight suit was offset by a white scarf, definitely not a standard issue item but still it was there fluttering in the breeze. Beside her on the ladder was another woman that Moira recognised, with dark hair and sharp brown eyes. The wife of one of the department heads - normally the smiling trophy wife, a ballet dancer if she recalled. Moira herself had tickets for her next show, a personal invitation from Gerard. Here she seemed delighted, an amused face showing her playing at the role of loving sweetheart, pretending to fawn over the brave pilot.

Moira turned the photo over, reading the side she’d missed. The inscription was handwritten, black sharpie “Good luck tomorrow _ma meilleure amie_ ”. The date, however, explained a lot. Moira started to tie everything together - the drinking, the desire to be with others, the need to be touched and held and comforted.

She looked back at the sleeping form. Most people thought of Dr O’Deorain as cold and unfeeling, her mismatched eyes lacking in empathy. Only Angela really knew how much she could truly care about people, how she wanted them to succeed and be happy. At first it had just been Angela she felt this way about but slowly it had expanded out, the cracks in Moira’s armour slowly being opened as she settle here.

She placed the photograph back in the jacket, heading outside for a smoke to clear her head.

So she’d sat enjoying her cigarette, watching the world go by. Fareeha had stopped her circuits, now bouncing a basketball as Genji set up under the hoop. McCree seemed to be dozing, his hat resting over his face. A belly laugh from the floor below her told her that Reinhardt was finally awake, probably heading to grab a pile of food for breakfast.

Back in the room, a groan alerted her to movement from the bed. Her partner had stirred slightly, shifting under the covers, rolling her head slightly until she could see daylight. She still looked tired even after all her rest, eyes half shut. But it was no mistaking that Lena Oxton was starting to wake up properly.

Moira took the opportunity to re-enter the flat, throwing her cigarette in the ashtray and sliding open the door. She tried to move slowly, not wanting to disturb the Brit too early. Instead, she poured a glass of juice from the fridge and grabbed two tablets of aspirin from the case on her counter, a pre-emptive measure.

Lena had now transitioned to rubbing her eyes using the heel of her hand, her fingers skirting through the mess of hair as she tried to wake. It was almost too cute to interrupt but Moira could see this was the best time to intercede.

  
“So, the sleeper has awakened” Moira spoke from the doorway, her usual tone seeping its way into that simple sentence.

Lena froze, her eyes still covered by her hands. Between the gaps in her fingers, Moira could see those brown eyes rapidly swinging around the room, focusing on her and then the exits before focusing back to her. Almost like a rabbit caught in a trap.

Moira moved closer, placing the glass of orange juice on the bedside table before sitting in the chair next to the bed. She leant forward.

“How are you feeling my dear?”

Lena croaked out her answer. “Rough. Like I went three rounds with Winston in a boxing ring after I ate the last of the peanut butter. And very silly” She looked up at Moira “Sorry for anything I did last night, I wasn’t feeling like myself.”

Moira smiled “It’s quite alright. You didn’t do anything too dramatic, apart from requesting for a bottle of the good stuff at our usual watering hole. I’m sure my bank account will repair the damage in time”

“So we didn’t…” Lena gulped, her question left unsaid.

Moira shook her head, a kind smile on her face. “No, I don’t think either of us was really looking for that sort of attention last night.”

Lena seemed to relax slightly, her shoulders dropping.

Moira paused “I don’t wish to come across as prying but I saw the date. And I’m guessing that had something to do with all of this.“

Lena looked down at the covers, a finger tracing the pattern in the bedding. She seemed to be holding something back, not trusting herself with words.

Moira simply smiled “I understand. I need to check a few work tasks on my terminal in the other room but if you’d like to stay here until the event tonight, I’m sure I could get Angela to go collect your things.”

A nod was all the response she needed.

Unable to help herself, Moira moved closer, sitting on the bed. Without a word, Lena suddenly leaned herself against the taller woman, her head resting in the other’s lap. Moira ran her fingers through the mop of brown hair, feeling the other’s steady breathing on her bare legs.

\--

Midafternoon, there was a knock on the door.

Her hair shining in the light, Angela Ziegler entered, the labcoat seeming to float behind her. She carried a suit bag in one hand,  a small leather case in the other. As she walked she moved carefully, making sure not make too much noise.

Moira was sat at her desk, working through the last few emails for the day, pointless questions and unwanted invitations to budget meetings. She perked up as she noticed her guest, crossing the space between them and laying a kiss onto the blonde’s lips that was returned eagerly. When they broke apart, Moira saw the ghost of a smile cross the beautiful face in front of her before the worried expression that Dr Ziegler seemed to permanently wear returned.

“How is she?”

Moira pointed through the window at the balcony, to the small figure lying on the recliner, her eyes closed and fast asleep. Joyce, one of Moira’s rabbits, was resting on her chest, her nose twitching slightly as she was buoyed up and down by the Brit’s breathing. Lena was usually so full of energy, constantly moving, so seeing her at peace was a change.

Moira continued her description, her tone the same one she used when describing an experiment “Based on my observations I don’t she’s been sleeping very well the past few nights. I think she just needed an evening of excess and then a day to crash afterwards. A bit of time to blow off some steam”

Angela moved closer to the window, gazing down at Lena’s sleeping form with a smile as she carefully placed a hand on the glass. “I grabbed the ensemble she had laid out, as well as most of an overnight bag. Between that and your collection, there should be enough to get her ready.” Angela looked back at Moira “Do you think she’s okay for the event tonight? I’m sure I could explain away why she wasn’t around”

Moira shook her head “She’ll want to be with people. After a whole day in bed, worry them would be the last thing she’d want. Also, she only ate a little at lunch so I think the promise of a buffet will be calling to her”

Angela smiled “Look at you, acting all kind and caring.” She patted Moira on the chest “I like it”

The taller doctor looked down at her and pulled her lover in closer, gently placing another kiss on her forehead. She tried to continue but Angela grabbed her chin, her voice now stern, her face steely.

“What I don’t like is hearing about your other bar-related activities, Moira. We talked about this.”

Moira nodded slowly, a slight edge of fear starting to creep into her mind as she looked into those sparkling blue eyes. Such a beautiful creature that could tear her apart with only a few words.

Angela’s smile however quickly returned. “So, I’ll leave you two to get ready, let you work your magic with her. Come and collect me at 7pm, both of you. I should be ready by then, wearing that gold dress we talked about.”

Moira raised an eyebrow “Are you trying to shock her back into life?”

The smile grew wider “Maybe. Or maybe it’s you I’m trying to shock.”

\----

They didn’t speak much as they got ready. Lena could only watch as Moira effortlessly prepared herself. It was almost like putting on a three-piece for a charity gala was an everyday occurrence. Picking her cufflinks from a tray, fingers dancing over the options as she chose a pocket square from a drawer, even finding the right pair of shoes from the holder in her cupboard.

Lena almost felt like a tramp next to her, her suit slightly too big, shoes scuffed until Moira had found her some polish and she had got to work. Worse, she was just staring at her tie, it’s edges worn and tired, all memories of how to tie it forgotten. She was about to throw it aside in anger when she felt someone’s warm breath on the back of her neck.

“It’s nice but the wrong style for you I think. Too wide” Thin hands pulled the offending item away from her. “Why not try… this” Lena could feel the fabric being placed around her neck, long fingers returning to skillfully knot it.  

However, she couldn’t take her eyes off the mirror in front of her. Seeing Moira leant in so close, the flaming red hair a contrast to her brown, the sharp face a so different from the more rounded features of her own. Their eyes met in the mirror, a wide smile appearing on the older woman’s face.

“There, perfect” Moira stepped back to admire the look. “Very handsome. We’ll have to take a look at that suit at some point, give those cufflinks of yours a proper polish but I think you shouldn’t have any trouble knocking them dead tonight.”

Turning in her seat, Lena looked up. “Thank you Moira, for everything. Today has been just what I needed”

Moira smiled down at her, resting a hand on her shoulder “Of course, hopefully, this will keep you away from my booth at the bar.”

Lena grinned “It would be nice to talk with you a little more. Like this, relaxed. If you don’t mind me saying, you’ve been much nicer to me in the last day than you ever have before.”

Gripping tighter, Moira stared her directly in the eye, raising an eyebrow “I’m not sure if that is a compliment or an insult, Miss Oxton”

Blushing Lena started to stammer “What I mean to say..”

Moira laughed “No, I understand you perfectly.” She stopped, steepling her fingers as she stood up.

”I have a proposal. You mentioned a few things last night that you felt you were inexperienced in. I’ve learnt a host of talents in my time that you might find useful. Some of them are professional, better ways to work as an unconventional operative. Skills you might need that Overwatch may not teach you. Other things are more… personal. Like how to dress to impress. Or work your charms. Perhaps, rather than just idle chatter and coffee like you might share with Dr Zeigler or Amari, what if we did something more…. productive?”

Lena frowned “You want to be my teacher?”

Moira smiled “That’s one way of putting it. Yes, I think I do.” She looked at the clock and her face fell “And I think we need to start with lesson 1: how to apologize to a very angry partner when you’re late. Come on, Angela is going to kill me.”


	2. Afternoon in London

The wind had returned, blowing the autumnal leaves in eddies along the side of the grey river. Lena walked slowly down the busy street, Emily’s arm hooked through her own. Both knew today was going to be strange - a message out of the blue from an old friend, an invitation for coffee.

The shop chosen for this meeting was warm and bright, a nice change from the outdoors. It was cozy as well, the fittings traditional fabric and wood rather than the plastic and metal more commonly favoured in this area. The large glass windows offered a picturesque view over Parliament Square, the old buildings surrounded by modern additions towering up into the sky. Behind the counter, an Omnic barista was slowly preparing another drink, looking up as they entered with a happy little pattern of light on his face.

The other attendees were already there, relaxing in one of the booths in the centre of the cafe. Moira was her usual languid self, smartly dressed but sprawling to occupy the space, one arm resting over the top of the booth while perusing the specialist drink list like it was the wine selection. Surprisingly, she was not alone. Next to her was Windowmaker, those golden eyes covered by sunglasses, a long black coat to hide most of her blue skin. She was sitting rigidly upright with both hands around her mug of coffee, never moving to drink it. Alerted by the door opening, her head followed them as the new arrivals got close, smoothly tracking the pair. It gave Lena the uncomfortable impression of being targeted.

Cautiously, the newcomers slid into the booth. Emily ended up opposite Widowmaker, while Lena had to look up slightly to catch Moira’s eye. A chilly silence settled between them, interrupted briefly by the arrival of their drinks.

Lena eventually started the conversation “I was surprised to get your message, Moira. It's been a long time - thought you’d be too busy running a country to come and see the little people like us” Lena turned to look at Widowmaker, only just maintaining her cheery expression. “And what is she doing here?” She asked, a sharp tone to her voice.

Before she could hear an answer, Lena suddenly felt a shoe stomping onto her boot. Emily’s face didn’t move, never dropping her polite smile but a flash of those eyes told Lena all she needed to know. Emily did not approve of her rudeness.

Moira put down the menu, a slight smile creaping across her face. “I was passing through, meetings with the government about various agreements so I decided to take an extra day for personal reasons. And as for Amelie, my predecessor liked to keep her away from society. I, on the other hand, thinks she does well getting out and about. Besides, “ Moira looked around “I wasn’t sure if we were about to have uninvited guests”

Lena felt her expression drop, suddenly serious and staring daggers at the taller woman “Don’t call her that. That isn’t who she is anymore, not after your lot finished with her.” She slumped slightly, still watching the sniper closely out of the corner of her eye.

She could feel Emily was about to kick her again but the hit never came. Widowmaker had calmly put out her hand, blue fingers resting gently on Emily’s exposed arm. Lena could see her girlfriend shiver slightly at the contact - she’d never felt the strange coldness of the sniper’s touch.

Her voice was calm. “No, Tracer is correct. I am not the woman she knew. No matter how much she wishes I was”

Silence returned, each of them staring into their drinks. Emily coughed to fill the sucking void.

“Lena dear, would you be so kind as to introduce me to your… acquaintances?”

Lena geared herself up to speak, somewhat reluctantly, but before she could start Moira leaned across the table, her hand outstretched, the wide smile stretched across her thin face. It was a smile Lena had seen many times before, the polite political smile she had saved for charity galas and public meetings back at Overwatch, normally accompanied by a slightly too strong handshake to dissuade people from talking to her.

“I’m sure Lena would prefer to think of us as rivals but former colleagues is probably more accurate. I’m Moira O’Deorain, Minister of Genetics for Oasis.”

Emily was momentarily surprised, her mouth flapping slightly as she tried to assemble a response. “Oh, I assumed that the Minister comment was just a joke. But no, you literally are a government official of one of the most advanced nations on the planet. I didn’t recognise you without the...” She mimed a crown, her hands echoing the shape of the ministerial headdress.

Moira nodded, the smile decorating her thin face widening slightly “It’s quite comfortable when you get used to it, just as long as you don’t move your head too far forward.” She took a sip of her coffee “I must say, I loved your piece on the latest upgrade to CERN from New Scientist. So glad to hear you got to speak to speak with Dr Liao, he was a great colleague of mine back at Overwatch.” 

She paused “I know of several projects we’re working on back in Iraq that you and your readers would find very interesting. Maybe we need to organise a visit for you out to Oasis? Or does your editor like to keep the expenses paid trips to himself?”

Emily couldn’t stop herself from laughing at this, the sound almost musical to Lena’s ears compared to the tone of Moira’s voice. “Oh I like you. Lena mentioned you’d met at Overwatch. Called you a mentor of sorts, I can see where she got some of her tricks from” Emily’s head turned to face the woman across from her “And how about you, Miss..?”

Widowmaker fixed her with a glare “Widowmaker. We both know what I am” She returned to staring into her coffee, her blunt nature silencing Emily’s questioning.

Another pause. This time Moira tried to restart the flow. “How is life in Gibraltar treating you, hmm? Cleaned out all the cobwebs, found all of Jessie’s stashes of....?”

Lena had had enough. Before Moira could finish, she felt herself stand up, the sudden movement and noise unexpected by everyone else. She raised her hands. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this. I thought I could try and pretend that this was normal, just friends meeting for drinks but it can’t work like this.“

Her eyes bounced between the pair across the table from her, staring at each of the two Talon agents for a while before settling on Moira. Lena continued, her face filled with anger. “Not with you two”. And with that she stormed off, the door swinging shut behind her.

Emily stood up to follow but Moira was faster, seeming to blink across the gap to the exit and chasing after the smaller Brit up the street.  Emily moved to follow but stopped when she felt a cool hand on her own, the feeling less jarring this time.

“Let them go, Emily. I get the feeling this talk has been a long time coming.” Widowmaker leant back “Besides, your coffee is still warm - it would be a shame to waste it”

Emily returned to her seat, pulling her mug towards her. She looked her companion in the eye for a moment before beginning. “So. Widowmaker. What does a trained assassin do for fun?”

\--

Lena didn’t know where she was running to but she knew she had to get away, put some distance between her and the nightmare of a situation behind her. A flash of red hair in the crowd chasing her made her heart pound faster, pushing her on as she ran through the streets. She didn’t care who owned it, didn’t care if it was Emily trying to comfort her or Moira coming to gloat. She just needed to escape.

Once away from the main streets, she found a park, a square of green amongst the grey, a void surround by towering glass buildings on three sides and the steely dark river on the other. Her heart still racing, she ducked in, sitting herself down on a bench nestled amongst the trees.

She had felt like this before, more often then she would want to have admitted, but it had never been quite as sudden as this. She gripped the green painted metal tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning white with the strain as she let herself rock backwards and forwards slightly. Winston’s advice for moments when she couldn’t cope came back to her, his deep voice and careful words helping to slow her breathing. Closing her eyes, the darkness seemed comforting. She focused on the feeling of metal beneath her fingertips, the pitted surface, the chill on her hands, the force of the breeze on her face, the...

The gravel a few feet away crunched and Lena looked up, the tall form of Moira looming above. She was holding Lena’s leather jacket out to her, a peace offering of sorts. Those eyes were what caught her attention though, none of the usual superiority in them, just genuine concern.

“You might want to put this on. Wouldn’t want the world’s greatest hero catching a cold.”

Wordlessly, eyes never wavering, Lena took her coat and rolled it over her shoulders, pulling it tight over her chest piece in an attempt to ward off the chill in the air that she could now feel. Begrudgingly, she moved slightly to one side, letting Moira sit down next to her. They were quiet for a while, watching the world continue to move around them. The hum of the city a few streets over gentle background music compared to the lapping of the river or the wind through the trees above them. 

Moira cleared her throat. “I... miscalculated. This wasn’t how I intended for this meeting to go. I shouldn’t have brought her with me. I thought after your encounters with her you might have gained some sort of rapport...” Moira started but Lena interrupted her, her voice shaking with rage.

“Seven years Moira. The last time we talked as friends was seven years ago. We were going to help you, plead your case with Command, every one of us. And then you were gone. No note, no farewell, just an empty room where you had been. You left all of us in the dark, even Angela. No, especially Angela. You broke her.”

Lena turned “And then one day she hears about you working in Oasis. Then a few weeks later, someone very familiar is spotted helping a Talon team, purple and yellow energy just like the old days. And in all that time, you never think to reach out? Even when Overwatch fell?”

There were tears spilling down her cheeks, dripping onto the gravel below. “I spent almost a year after I was discharged from Overwatch doing nothing but drinking myself to sleep every night. Did you know that? Maybe a call would have been nice? You had tried to be my mentor but when I needed you the most, you were just gone.” There was a pause. “Just like everyone else.”

She sniffed. “And then, after all this time, you want to meet? Like we were just old workmates whose schedules never lined up. You had the nerve to bring her, that thing that wears Amelie’s face, here? To pretend she was just another friend? “

A laugh caught in her throat “But of course you wouldn’t see the harm in that. Or anything, would you? You never could see what you did to people, always so focused on the science. Left in the wake of the great Moira O’Deorain as she headed off to solve her own bloody problems for the advancement of mankind.”

Moira had been quiet throughout this, just staring out over the water. Her voice when she responded didn’t have the same passion as Lena’s but there was barely controlled anger bubbling just below the surface, a slight strain as she worked to keep it under control.

“You don’t think it’s hard for me too? To have to work against those I used to call my friends? To have to change and cut and fix one of them, knowing full well that she has no memories of her life before the hell I played some part in making for her?”

“I didn’t reach out because... Well because I couldn’t bring myself to. When Overwatch fired me I lost everything. Not just my work but my life - my friends, my partnership, the first job that took me outside of a lab that I have ever loved. With one flick of the pen, I had 10 years of my existence just gone, all the details of it burned up in an incinerator. And partially because of one stupid mistake that I still pay for today” 

Lena looked down at Moira’s arm, the elbow length glove covering the discoloured and scarred flesh that she knew lay beneath. She could remember that night, holding Angela up as they watched Moira lying unconscious in the hospital bed, the skin slowly darkening to purple as the raw biotics ran rampant through her system. The damage to her arm had revealed her work’s other purpose - the last straw for Overwatch’s involvement with her.

Moira continued. “Talon was there when I was at my lowest. They offered me everything I could dream of, a literal blank cheque. Funding, test subjects, manpower, everything. I couldn’t not take it. Not when I was so close to a breakthrough. Not when I could feel the call to action again.”

She looked back, her long face shifting to stare at her companion instead. As she spoke, she tapped two of her fingers on Lena’s shoulder to drive home her points.

“But Lena, if you honestly think I WANT to work for Talon then you never really knew me. It’s a bomb, just waiting for a simple push to explode. Doomfist’s lust for another Omnic War is going to destroy us if it comes to pass while Gabe...The Reaper is a hollow shell of the man I used to follow into hell. And everyone else? Too busy lining their pockets and improving their standings to see what’s going to happen. Mondratta’s death was stupidity, a waste. Every action, every operation I am forced to help is a frustration and a distraction from what I want to do. What I NEED to do.”

Lena shrank back slightly as Moira continued, her cool demeanour starting to shift to one filled with anger. She’d never seen Moira like this, the older woman normally working hard to keep her emotions in check.

“If I could leave tomorrow, just pick up my research and go, don’t think for a second that I wouldn’t seize that chance. But getting out is never as easy as getting in. It would cost me so much to leave them now, so much that I can’t pay that price.” 

She stopped, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

“So instead, I just have to redeem myself in smaller steps. Pay penance where I can.”

Moira gripped Lena’s hand tightly, turning to face her properly.

“Lena, the reason I brought Widowmaker with me is because part of Amelie is still in there.”

Lena felt her jaw drop “What?”

“She’s been having dreams, visions of someone’s life before her own. Keeps talking about the ballet during her check-ups and I’ve caught her practising poses when she thinks no one is looking. She even keeps talking about a dark haired woman wearing blue. It seems the idiots who did the reprogramming were not as clever as they thought”

Lena blinked. Hope, hope for something she had abandoned for so long, was slowly starting to build in her chest. “So what are you going to do?”

Moira shrugged “Keep covering up for her so they don’t try and ‘fix’ her again. Try to help her, maybe repair some of the damage I did when I helped make her how she is. I looked into a few methods that might actually break her out of their control conditioning at least, even if we can’t bring her back entirely.” 

Pulling a small triangular data module from her coat pocket, Moira passed it to Lena.“This is the first step. You need to give this to Ana - if anyone can rescue her, she can. Although I fear what it may take.“ She stopped “And don’t show any of it to Angela - the methods are not exactly pleasant. Or medically advised.”

Another longer pause as Lena stowed the gift away. She could see Moira struggling to broach the subject she knew she wanted to. Eventually though, with a thin voice, she asked the question that had obviously been nagging at her.

“How is she by the way? Angela I mean. We never get to talk much at the conferences, usually rushing from appointment to appointment. And when we meet in the field…” A breath. “She looks well whenever I’ve seen her”

Lena smiled slightly “She’s doing good. Being back at Overwatch suits her, busy but amongst friends. Helping people without drowning in it as she has been.” 

Moira however just stared at her, one eyebrow raised “You’re twitching Lena, what are you not telling me?”

With a sigh, Lena answered “It's just… she’s been hanging around with Fareeha. A lot. Started pretty soon after they both answered the recall. I’m sorry.”

Lena could do nothing but watch as Moira’s face fought to remain level. It held steady for a moment but then seemed to collapse, emotion returned to it like never before. She looked broken, as if an entire section of her life had just been pulled away from her and flung into the river.

After a while, the doctor took a deep breath and shrugged. “Well, I guess I won’t be needing these anymore” 

And with that, Moira pulled a chain from around her neck, a pair of golden rings hanging from it. Lena could see they were beautiful pieces, each engraved with an infinity knot wrapping around the entire surface. Carefully, Moira placed them on the bench between them, the metal ringing when it collided.

She smiled sadly as she looked down at them “Angela honestly had me thinking about wedding bells, a house in the country, maybe even tiny footsteps.” She swallowed and looked up. “But I guess those days are over. Perhaps in another life...” she trailed off. “But not in this one”

This silence seemed to last for an eternity. Lena wondered if she should leave, go back to the cafe and collect Emily before heading home and away from whatever this meeting had been.

“I can see why you like her. Emily I mean.”

Lena looked up. Moira was staring out over the river again, a thoughtful look on her face.

“She’s two of your favourite people mixed in one. The red hair, the biting wit, the fearsome intelligence, the drive. I’ve read her articles, she doesn’t like to hold back where there is a story to uncover. But there’s also the kindness, the empathy, the twinkling smile. How quickly she’s able to get to talking with people, no matter who they are. She sees people as individuals, not as titles or code names or reputations. I bet she’s never called you Tracer, not even when you first met”

Moira fixed her with a look. It wasn’t stern or kind just blank, focused “Take good care of her Lena. Tell her what she needs to know, don’t let secrets get in the way. Tell her how you really feel about her.” 

\---

Lena was quiet on the tube home. Even since she’d returned to the cafe, the tall doctor leading the way, Emily had noticed her acting slightly differently. The rest of their time together had been slightly muted, much more mature, the aggressive streak gone. They chatted rather than talked until the darkness rolled in and the group went their separate ways. Widowmaker even smiled at them as they parted, raising one hand in a wave before disappearing into the crowd.

Stepping back into their flat, Emily watched as Lena seemed to go through the motions of getting home - Popping the kettle on, hanging her jacket and accelerator up before flopping onto the sofa. Emily, however, sat in the chair opposite her, crossing her legs and watching her girlfriend’s face.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Lena rubbed her eyes. “Nothing, nothing. Just had a long day, that’s all”

Emily smiled “I know ‘just had a long day Lena’ and you are a pale imitation of her. Something is still bothering you.”

Lena looked at her. “Something Moira said, about keeping secrets, has got me thinking. I want to tell you so much. So much you don’t know about me, about Overwatch, about all the things we did. About why I was so… messed up when we first met. I’m just trying to gather my thoughts, decide where best to start.”

She paused “And how many things I signed I can break before I get into trouble”

Emily nodded before passing the mug over to her and settling back into her armchair. The journalist in her wanted to bring out the notebook, cover the surface in shorthand. Instead, she simple steepled her fingers to keep them busy. “Okay, let me guide you with some questions. How did you and Moira become friends originally?”

The start of a smile crossed Lena’s face “Well that story begins in a bar…”


	3. Evening In Oasis

Funny, Moira thought, that this would be the ending to her story. 

Not in the seemingly eternal struggle between Overwatch and Talon, falling at the hands of those she had once known as friends. No, it would be some petty internal dispute, some rival that wanted to see her fall. She would have laughed at their shortsightedness, but the metal piece that had sheared through her armour would start digging painfully into her if she did. Instead, she glanced around the room, trying to peer through the aftermath of the bomb that had torn through her office and sent her flying through the air.

Across from her, she could see Sombra, unconscious, sprawled across the floor. Nothing seemed broken, but the medic in her knew that a Sombra inanely chatting to her was better than one laying still on the stone. She trusted the hacker as far as she could throw the woman but some part of her still cared for her well being. 

Tentatively, Moira tried to reach out a hand, planning to send a burst of healing energy across the room. Instead, nothing more than a mist of yellow seemed to drift around her fingers, barely lacking the force needed to move forward let alone start its work. Her equipment had obviously been crushed, another failure to add to the growing list in her mind. 

Sighing, she simply hung there, trying not to think about the pain that was slowly increasing in her midsection. Or the attention this explosion inside her complex would bring, the prying eyes that would soon descend on her work here. Or the fact that for all her knowledge and skills, for all the time and effort she had expended, nothing she could do would get her away from this. She was helpless.

The sky above suddenly filled with noise, searchlights shining into the darkness, a white painted craft with a familiar logo on the side flying past. Moira snorted. Of course, Overwatch would be here. They were probably waiting to swoop in on whatever was left, grabbing the intelligence before Oasis’s security drones secured the area. It was almost amusing to see them now, picking over the scraps. How the mighty had fallen.

She tried to push herself more upright, placing her hands on the wreckage beneath her. Even this simple action hurt, almost bringing tears to her eyes and caused her to moan in pain as she resettled back into a comfortable position. Maybe she should just stop for a moment and wait.

\--

Someone was coming. She could hear them approaching, the sound of running feet punctuated by pauses and the running would start again, much closer. Suddenly a familiar cockney voice was calling her name.

“Moira!”

It was hard for her to explain the mix of feelings that single word brought to her. Relief, happiness, concern, pain, all seemed to mix. But as she opened her eyes, she was glad to see who it was. Tracer, her hair flopping as she moved, bounded across the wreckage of her office, sliding to a halt in front of her. Moira watched as her eyes bounced between the two Talon agents, pressing her fingers to her ear and activating the radio.

“Mercy, we’ve got two injured VIPs on the second level, definitely going to need to evac them. One unconscious, the other trapped in rubble but still awake” Moira saw her hesitate before adding “It’s Moira”

That obviously brought a reaction from across the radio, she could see Lena wince behind the goggles. Probably Morrison based on the how long she pulled that face for.

“Also gonna need someone to help pull her clear of the wreckage. That bomb did a number on this place” She looked around, her eyes sweeping the broken walls and exposed structure “I don’t think it’s going to collapse but let's not stick around too long, eh?”

She started moving forward, approaching the doctor but Moira held up her hand.

“Lena, as glad as I am to see you, check Sombra first. Triage 101, I’m able to tell you what’s hurts, she’s still an unknown. I know I taught you this so please, for once in your life, actually follow procedure”

For Moira, there was a frustratingly long pause before she complied. But with a nod, the Brit was no longer there, having blinked across to the figure on the floor. She took the Sombra's head carefully in her hands, checking the vitals before taking a closer look at the wound across her forehead. If it wasn’t for the pain, Moira would have smiled seeing her go to work.

Lena talked as she investigated, her usual light tone still present despite the seriousness of the situation “So what was the Minister of Genetics doing having a meeting with a known and wanted hacker hmm? Doesn’t seem like a sensible face to face for a politician to have.” Lena looked up, a grin plastered across her face “People might think you were up to something”

Moira grit her teeth in pain “I am all for our usual games but concentrate on your patient first. We can save the witty repartee for when you drag me off this damn metal spike” She shifted in the rubble, gasping slightly.

“Ha, you never let me have any fun” Lena finished her check, applying a small amount of medi-gel from the health pack she’d been carrying “Oliv… Sombra’s fine. Pulse is stable, breathing is regular, a nasty gash on her forehead but it missed her augments so no permanent damage.”

Moira tilted her head slightly as Lena rolled off the rest of her information. Interesting. Overwatch’s golden girl knew Sombra’s real name. Very interesting. Perhaps something to investigate when she got out of here.

Lena blinked back to her, leaving a faint blue outline across the room, and started to investigate the wreck. Moira could feel her nimble fingers seemed to dance across her side, taking care not press too hard. She still winced when Lena touched her wounds. Eventually, Lena stepped back, looking up at Moira’s form.

“Right. Metalwork has gone through your back, missing your spine luckily. Thankfully, your gear managed to heal some of the damage before it drained away. Bad news, I can’t pull you down from there without things going badly wrong, you’re wedged in tight. Can you feel your limbs?”

Moira nodded, biting her lip as she moved again to prove it.

“Good, I’m going to hit you with a little bit of medi-gel, just to keep you active until the actual doctor turns up. Okay?”

Warmth suddenly started to spread through Moira, a little bit of the pain disappearing. But something else replaced it. Overwatch’s Rapid Deployment Medical kits all came from the same supply, the same simple nanobots that Angela had been hired to develop and maintain. Most people just felt a tingle. But for Moira, these nanobots interacted with the compounds in her system different. The feelings it brought back were visceral, blooming with colour that burned its way across her vision. It reminded her of the past, of clean labs and classical music, of a blonde in a lab coat.

The cough of a rocket motor brought her back to the present. In a cloud of dust, someone clad in blue dropped through the hole in the ceiling. Moira watched as the armoured form stomped her way out of the settling wreck, a metal hand lifting up to her shining visor. The was a click as it rolled upward, the black Wadjet suddenly visible as those brown eyes swept what was left of the room. The newcomer grinned as she spotted the figure on the wall, picking her way over to them.

“Huh, Moira O’Deorain helpless and pinned to a wall. Why does this seem familiar.”

Of course, Fareeha Amari would find something to joke about at a time like this. As serious a soldier she could be, always putting the mission first, there was a comedic streak to her. She took a certain amount of joy in fulfilling her duty, and if she could do that with style then why the hell not. Who else would fly around in a royal blue suit of power armour.

“If I recall correctly, Captain, that situation was very different.” Moira responded, a little bit of annoyance creeping into her tone “Also, don’t make me laugh Fareeha, it might do poor things to the bits of the building I’m currently attached to.”

Smiling, Fareeha turned to Lena “Angela is on her way. Once she’s checked her over, we’ll start trying to get her down. Is Sombra stable?”

Lena nodded.

“Good, she’s been meaning to pay us a visit for a while. Hopefully this time she’ll be more useful than when she simply wanted to talk to Athena and ended up knocking herself out for a few days.”

Other figures had started climbing down to join them. As Moira would have expected Morrison was there, still wearing that ridiculous leather jacket, still hiding his face behind that visor. However, not even it could hide the frown he pulled as he saw her hanging there, stepping closer with his gun raised. Genji soon joined him, vaulting down the wreckage without any difficulty. He respectfully nodded at Moira, their traditional way of greeting each other the few times they had clashed. She returned it, wincing with the effort, before he moved off to check on Sombra.

And then Moira’s entire vision seemed to go white, orange accents occupying the centre of it. Part of her knew who was coming, prepared her for who she was about to see. But mostly she just stared as Mercy descended towards her, gliding gently to land a few paces away from her tortured form. 

She could remember, all those years ago when Angela had first been developing the Valkyrie suit, the jokes she had made about its appearance. About how she must have had a complex due to her name, a need to make herself seem even more like a heavenly creature than she already was. But now, now that it was her in peril, now she saw its purpose.

As the light from her wings faded, Angela took a step forward. Her white armour was such a contrast to the rest of the room, shining bright despite the carnage and the smoke. Moira could see she was looking up at her, studying her features with concern. She softened for a moment as their eyes met, her deeper emotions peaking through. But when she moved on to scan the rest of the room, she was back to the business, dishing out orders to the rest of her team.

“Pharah, If Sombra is safe to move, get her out of here and back to the ship. Everyone else, give me the room.”

Morrison stepped forward, almost growling in warning at her “Angela. You know it’s not safe to be alone with her...”

Angela turned, fixing Morrison with an angry glare and angrily snapping at him “Really Jack? She’s pinned to the wall. Tracer, you stay. The rest of you, clear the room”

For a second, Morrison looked like he was going to fight, to protest. But after a moment he simply clenched his fist and left, taking Genji to clear the next few rooms. Pharah nodded, lifting Sombra into her arms before engaging her pack and disappearing through the hole in the roof. Lena blinked backwards, eventually sitting on Moira’s desk after clearing a space, her legs swinging as she watched the two doctors interact.

Angela delicately walked back towards Moira, her eyes roaming over her as she looked at the damage. She half smiled again as she looked up at the taller doctor’s face.

“Dr O’Deorain. Still no understanding of the term ‘physician heal thyself’ I see”

Moira looked down at her. Tears were starting to form in her eyes, rolling over her mask and leaving trails down her cheeks where it cleaned away the grime. As much as she might try, she couldn’t stop them. Years and years of anguish suddenly found themselves somewhere to go.

“Angela…” 

Carefully, Angela lifted a hand to Moira’s face, delicately pushing the metal plate away, shushing her “I know  _ Libeling _ , I know. You’ve been gone far too long”

It felt wonderful, that first touch. Moira moved slightly, her hand overlapping Angela’s and holding it against her skin. She laughed to herself “I always dreamed of when we’d see each other again, away from the battlefield. There was no rubble, not that I remember, but somehow it didn’t hurt any less than this”

Angela laughed. Moira closed her eyes for a moment and just enjoyed the sound, letting it wash over her. It had been so long since she had heard it, bringing forth a flood of memories, the technicolour flashes returning.

“Only you would joke at a time like this” 

Her angel hovered around her, looking closely at her injuries before coming to rest in front of her, face to face. “Moira, I can’t lie to you, this is going to hurt. Probably more than anything you’ve experienced. As soon as we pull you off the wall, you are going to pass out, even if I’m healing you. We’ll be taking you back with us, to Overwatch, to recover.”

She stopped, pausing to look at Moira’s face, their eyes meeting again. She was suddenly intense.

“But before that, I need something from you. Something that will make Jack and Ana not simply throw you in a hole, maybe even give you a chance to keep working and help us, help me again, just how it used to be. There is going to be nothing left for you here. Talon is already moving to disappear you, we can hear it over their comms. Please, Moira. Give me something I can protect you with.”

There was a flash of blue and Lena suddenly appeared behind Moira with a blink, leaning in close to her ear. “You remember what you mentioned in London eh? This is it. Take it”

There was the briefest pause. Moira considered her options, ran down the possibilities of how she could handle this. But looking at Angela, seeing her again, removed all those options but one. She could do nothing more than nod, her hand reaching inside her pocket to pull out her access card. Her throat felt rough when she spoke.

“Lab password is “Speakeasy”. The same key gets you into my apartment where my personal data is. If you don’t get both, most of it is useless. Also, don’t forget Eamon and the twins. Please”

Angela returned her hand to Moira’s face, smiling as the Irish woman closed her eyes at her touch.

“Thank you.”

She threw the access card to Lena who seemed to snatch it out of the air. “Take Morrison, Genji and Winston. Clear out her office and apartment, take as much as you can, anything that might be useful and then some. I’m sure you’ll recognise Eamon and the Twins when you see them. Bring them back as well.”

Lena threw a salute at Mercy before disappearing down the corridor in a flash of blue. One of her blinks seemed to take her through Pharah, returning after her last run. The armoured form strode up to Moira, a smile on her face.

“Ah good, you’re both still alive. I was worried I’d come back to Angela explaining how hanging there managed to break every bone in your body”

Angela rolled her eyes but Pharah continued, smiling under her helmet “You think I’m joking? You haven’t had the last few months of listening to her talk about you. I think she took your little duel in Illios personally” 

Pharah leaned in closer, almost whispering “Tell me when you’re planning your showdown, I’ll get the popcorn and sell some tickets. Jessie at the very least will enjoy being on the front row”

Angela now had her palm on her face “Fareeha, please. Can we focus on getting Moira down before the building collapses around us?”

Pharah nodded. “Of course doctor, I was just making sure the patient had her humour intact.” She turned back to Moira, looking at her critically “It's going to be good having you back on base Moira. Sym was just saying she needed someone more intelligent to talk to.”

With a snap, the captain lowered her visor.

“Are you ready?”

Moira felt the warm feeling of Angela’s beam going to work, felt Pharah’s strong arms wrap around her. She nodded.

Pharah pulled. There was a burst of pain, a scream and then Moira was out like a light, the world nothing more than darkness.

\-- 

When Moira woke, all was white. 

She blinked for a second against the glare, waiting for it to settle into more consistent shapes.

The first thing to become clear was Lena’s face, her brown hair bobbing as she moved back and forth in the chair. Still struggling to keep still, even as her face seemed worried, a far cry from her usually cheerful expression. Moira watched her, watched as she chewed her lip, fidgeted while she waited for something, anything to happen.

Moira knew she was called ‘cruel’ sometimes, ‘inhuman’ even. Uncaring to others, too focused on her own work to see the damage she could do. But lying there, watching Lena, Moira knew she couldn’t let her worry a minute longer. She coughed.

Immediately, the younger woman reacted by bouncing to her feet. Her face lit up with a wide grin and she exclaimed to the room, her arms outstretched.

“The Sleeper Awakens!”

Moira pulled herself upright, chuckling to herself “How long have you been waiting to say that?”

Lena smiled. “Far too long. God Moira, I am so glad to hear that voice again.”

Moving slowly to work out the crick in her neck, Moira began to look around “Where am I?”

“Gibraltar. You’ve been under for a few days. Turns out taking a piece of building through you will knock you out for a bit, eh?” Lena grinned as she sat back in her chair.

Moira looked around. The decoration was familiar, dated compared to other facilities she had been to but spotlessly clean. Even the old warning posters were still up, the colours faded slightly after all the years. The window to the outside showed the rising sun, framed partially by the blue water of the Mediterranean. She could feel the heat radiating from the windows, barely held back by the chill of the air conditioning above her.

She leant back, resting on the pillows. “Hmm. Been a long time since I woke up here. Not since Marrakech”

Lena laughed, clapping her hands. “Ha, you’ve just made Ana happy. She had a bet on about which mission you’d remember first. Angela was guessing Rome”

Moira smiled. “Well yes. Of course, she would pick Rome”. It had been one of the few missions where Blackwatch had been on site at the same time as Overwatch. The pair of them had taken advantage of this, enjoy several evenings and days filled with food and tourist sights before the mission had kicked off. 

Noticing something on her wrist, she raised it up.“This another of Ana’s ideas?” her eyebrow raised at the metal handcuff connecting her to the bed.

The Brit nodded “She knows you too well. She also pulled the escape tool capsule out of both yours and Sombra's arms.” Lena scrunched up her face in disgust. “I am so glad you never told me that trick.”

At the mention of her fellow Talon member, Moira started to look around, scanning the other beds for any sign of her. Lena interrupted.

“Sombra’s already back in her room, nothing more than a nasty bang to the head. Although she’s certainly playing it up for more than it is.”

Sombra had her own room here? Moira was impressed. That girl had been working both sides more than even she had anticipated.

Outwardly, Moira’s concern remained, her mind moving to other associates. “Did you get everything? From Oasis I mean”

Lena nodded “Ana’s started digging through it, although Morrison and her are waiting for you to help give it some context before they go too far into it. They seem hopeful about what it may contain”

Moira sighed “As much as I’m glad someone from Overwatch is finally treating my work with respect, you know what I’m really asking about“

Lena smiled and pointed to the wide pane of glass that dominated one wall “Oh, you meant the proof you have a soul? Take a look” 

Moira turned in her bed and saw Pharah, dressed in combat trousers and a black t-shirt standing on the other side of the divide. More importantly, she was holding on to a Doberman in her arms, his tail frantically wagging as it looked straight at her, those oversized paws pressing against the glass. Moira couldn’t help but smile. 

Not just at seeing her beloved Eamon, happy and well, but also the grin on Pharah’s face. She could remember her always wanting a dog. Her schedule stopped her from having one of her own, Helix forcing her to keep moving depending on her assignment and she felt unable to subject a creature to that life. But watching her here, clutching the puppy in her arms, Moira could see those two were going to be inseparable.

Moira waved at them. Pharah just held Eamon tighter, moving his paws to mirror her, a wide smile appearing on her face.

Lena leaned back in her chair. “He was a real handful, to begin with, but Pharah eventually remembered the Gaelic you taught her. The rabbits are safe too. Angela has already taken a liking to them so you might have a fight on your hands if you want to move them out of her office.”

At the first mention of that name, Moira felt a sudden tightness return to her chest. Lena must have spotted it as she reached into her jacket before withdrawing a closed fist and placing it on the table beside the bed.

“And speaking of Angela, you might want these back”

There was a solid clunk on the bedside table. Moira rolled her head, looking down at the surface to see the shine of gold reflecting. Two rings on a chain. Rubbing her fingers over the surface, Moira could feel the pattern decorating the warm metal. She looked up at Lena.

“You kept them?”

Lena nodded, a gentle smile on her face.

“Too nice to leave on a park bench in London. Besides she’s been in this chair every day, even when she was off duty, sitting, waiting, wanting to be here when you woke up. And you saw how she was when we found you. I’m not going to say it will be easy but it’s worth fighting for, right?”

Moira looked back at the rings, running her fingers over them and feeling the pattern stretching for eternity. Maybe there was a chance. Maybe. It was probably never going to be exactly the way it used to be, they had been apart too long for that, but perhaps they could make it work. It was definitely something to investigate. Maybe it could even be better than the first time, different, more mature.

She looked up at Lena before beckoning her closer, dropping her voice slightly to stop them being overheard “So I guess someone at Overwatch did something to Widowmaker? Her disappearance was the final straw for a few of the people inside Talon hence our little internal dispute.“

Lena smiled “Ana paid her a visit with a magic potion a witch gave her.”

“And it worked? My solution broke the conditioning?”

Lena shrugged “Well, Ana came back to the Orca looking like she’d been in a fight. But Widowmaker is gone. Instead, someone else helped Ana onto the ship in Paris. By the name of Guillard”

Moira froze “Guillard? That’s her…”

The smile dropped from Lena’s face slightly.

“She’s not Amelie anymore, Moira. Neither of them talked much on the dropship, but the way she moved, the way she just sat in that crash seat as we took off, it was clear to see.”

Moira looked up at the ceiling “Would you expect her to be? After all she’s done? After all I…” Moira stopped herself, her voice cracking.

The conversation dropped for a moment, both of them soberly thinking back to the woman they had known. Moira broke it with a cough.

“So now I’m awake, what happens next?”

\--

Meetings are what happened next. Many of them. After another checkup from Angela that probably included more lingering touches that had been strictly necessary,  there had been a revolving door of Overwatch staff coming to talk to her in her hospital bed. Some had been boring, almost pedestrian, explaining the situation to her, the legal ramifications of what her staying there meant. 

The more important ones had come from old friends. Fareeha laid down the ground rules of her imprisonment in the watchpoint, outlining areas she was not allowed to enter. She seemed laid back about the whole affair, knowing that it was pointless for her to leave anyway. Talon would see to that.

Jack and Ana, however, had been entirely serious, laying down the law for her. Jack pounding the table with his fist, Ana being much more restrained. Given the circumstances, their requests had seemed reasonable. It didn’t matter anyway, she wasn’t really in a position to argue. So with a nod of her head, she agreed to their terms and signed the documents.

After Jack had left, Ana had turned off the microphone and leaned in close. She had spoken quickly, whispering about a mutual friend, thanking her for her help, saying that her aid would assist both of them in the long run. The conversation finished with a shoulder squeeze and then she was gone, leaving Moira alone in her hospital bed.

Eventually, they had moved her out of the infirmary and into one of the smaller hab blocks. She sat on its balcony looking out over the sea, the fresh box of cigarettes lying on the plain plastic table next to her. Behind her, the room was spartan but practical, designed for new agents. A few boxes of things they had grabbed from Oasis sat unopened, waiting to fill some of the space. 

She smiled at the screen that had been waiting for her on the counter - a camera view pointing at a cage where two rabbits, one black, the other white, were quietly nibbling away. Next to them was a timer, counting down the days.

A knock on the door heralded the return of Lena. After a moment, she entered, whistling as she walked through the flat to join her on the balcony.

“Got to say, loving the new digs. Much nicer than that place back in Oasis. And so much quicker to clean!”   
  


Moira responded crisply, not bothering to turn in her chair “Thank you Lena, I’m happy someone is enjoying my change in conditions”

Leaning across, Lena pulled a cigarette out for herself. She didn’t light it, instead, rolling it between her fingers while she talked. “Cheer up, can’t be too bad.”

Another stern look from Moira. “Nine months without access to a lab. Nine months acting as Dr Ziegler’s assistant in the medical bay. Daily sessions with Jack and Ana providing intelligence on Talon cells. A sizeable ‘donation’ from my personal account. And stuck on base, unable to leave without sign off, for twelve months”

Lena laughed “What did you expect? ‘Welcome back, here is a lab all ready for you, we’ll leave you alone?’ You’re going to have to make Overwatch trust you again. Some of them, like Hana or Lucio, have only ever known you as the scary lady sucking the life out of them.” She paused “Which is going to make next year’s medicals very entertaining.”

Moira grunted, taking another long drag of her cigarette.

The pair of them sat looking out over the sea, enjoying the breeze.

“You know, I'm sure all that time spent working with criminals, you've picked up a few tricks since the last time we had a lesson,” Lena eventually commented, leaning back in her seat.

Moira paused, her cigarette resting in her hand. Lena continued

“I’m just saying, some of those things you taught me came in handy. Even with asking Emily out. And now you’ve got a bit of time to use up, how does a return to our weekly tutoring sessions sound?”

There was a long pause before Moira answered: “Are you sure you wouldn’t just prefer coffee and idle chatter?”

Lena laughed again “No no, I get enough of that from Angela. And tea and idle chatter from Ana. And…” Moira noticed a blush starting to appear on the Brit’s cheeks “not much chatter but more physical activities with Fareeha, especially when Emily visits”

Lena composed herself “Besides, I have a trick or two up MY sleeves you might find useful. Although maybe I’ll keep flying lessons until after people start trusting you again.” She grinned. “Don’t want them thinking you’re trying to escape, do we?”

Moira looked at her “Are you really wanting to go back to our weekly meetings?”

“I’m happy to if you are.” Lena leant back, watching Moira.

Moira took another drag and stared off at the setting sun. She thought of all that the pair of them had been through, everything that had occurred since that morning in Geneva all those years ago. Every moment they had interacted, sat in her brain.

Moira could do nothing more than smile, and for the first time in a long time, it was truly genuine. “I think I’d like that quite a lot”


	4. Midnight in Gibraltar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

The warm Mediterranean night was filled with the tinkling of glassware and friendly chatter. The Watchpoint’s exterior wasn’t really designed to be cosy but a collection of chairs and tables had soon found themselves all over the various open rooftops, while safety barriers had been quick to be erected soon after. Overwatch was more of a family than a job but people still found themselves splitting out into groups, occupying the rooftops suited to each of them. Separate but still together

From her perch, Lena looked over at one group, her eyes catching on Moira and Angela. They were snuggled up together under a blanket, Angela resting her back on Moira while both were deep in discussion with Fareeha and Emily. It had been a difficult return for the red-haired doctor to Overwatch. Despite all she did to help, all the work she had done, there were many who still couldn’t dissociate her from all the horrors of Talon that she had taken part in. But the nine months had come and gone and now she had returned to her lab work, eagerly jumping back into her tasks to help and support the team. 

And little by little, things had started to change. Even Jack had started to warm to her, her results able to help with the aches and pains SEP could bring. Winston had commented on her change in attitude, the pair being almost sociable when it came to science team meetings. True, there was still some of the old superiority, the desire to prove she was the smartest in any room, but it wouldn’t have been Moira without that.

She suddenly heard Angela laugh, some comment causing her to erupt, her response sweet music as it drifted through the night. Moira’s return had done wonders for Angela. It had taken them a few months to reconnect, to remember why they loved each other so much. There had been fights, especially when Moira had confessed the things she had done while at Talon, but they had worked through them. Now Angela was happy, cared for, less likely to burn herself out as she had done many times before. And a happy Angela meant the rest of the base was happy.

Lena’s eye roamed across the other groups. There were Sombra and Hana holding court with the games system, a few others crowding around to watch the two play. Brigette and Winston were talking engineering, frantically scribbling on post-it notes while Jack and Reinhardt looked on. A few rooftops away, just out of earshot of the noise from the youngsters, sat Genji and Zenyatta, recently returned from Tibet. Lena could guess where the third person from that group of arrivals was and sure enough, there was a glow of light at the highest point in the base, showing that a pair of ladies were no doubt spending some time together after so many years apart.

Lena turned to return to the party when someone opened the door behind her, a surprised voice cutting into the quiet.

“Oh sorry, I didn’t think anyone would be up here”

In front of Lena stood another one of the MEKA team. She was taller than Hana, the jumpsuit peeking out of the gaps between her jeans and combat jacket tinged with red rather than pink. Her face was much more serious, lacking the almost permanent pout that the younger girl had. Instead, her thin eyebrows seemed to form into more of a scowl. In one had she a bottle of beer, the other holding a cardboard container with a few more racked up inside.

Lena smiled “No worries, I was just about to head back down. You’re D.Mon right?”

The girl nodded “Yuna. You’re Tracer” She responded, tapping the blue light on her chest with the unopened bottle. “Not hard to recognise”

Lena nodded back. She watched as the girl walked past her, sitting in one of the plastic chairs that someone had managed to drag up here before cracking open her beer. Yuna just sat looking out towards Hana. With a smile, she tilted her head slightly as D.Va jumped around, obviously having just beaten the latest contender for her throne.

“There she goes again, the centre of attention. As always.” There was a touch of bitterness to her tone that made Lena pause.

“Are you alright?”

Yuna waved her off “I’m fine just… just a bit lost at the moment.”

Lena pulled her own chair across to sit close to her “Maybe I can help. After all, I am an expert in getting lost.” she offered with a grin, leaning forward to grab a bottle from the box between them.

Yuna continued staring out at Hana “It’s just, MEKA was always a team. We knew how we operated together. But now we’re here, working with Overwatch, and I have no idea how to gel with any of these people. The last mission we went on had a talking gorilla leading it.”

Lena smiled. Winston did usually have that effect on people when they first met him. It could be hard to take the smartest voice in the room seriously when it’s coming from someone 8ft tall.

“Nevermind the fact that half the things we do now, I’ve never been trained on. We’re gamers, taught to fly the mechs. We were never told about infantry fighting or spy shit” Angrily, she downed her beer before pulling the next one out of the box.

“And yet, there’s Hana. Headstart of 12 months working with you all and she’s being the perfect princess about it, leaving the rest of us in the shadows. Same as it’s always been, ever since the days back in KSL. With those stupid triangle markings, the way she says ‘winky face’. I don’t know if I want to punch her or kiss her half the time.”

“She’s just so…” Yuna sighed  “Perfect in every way and I’m… “ She gestured to herself, a bit of beer sloshing out and onto the concrete floor  “...this”

An idea appeared in Lena’s brain. The initial spark of something.  She leaned back in her chair, tucking her hands into her jacket. “You know, you remind me of someone. Back when I first joined I was just a pilot. The best pilot, I should add, brought in to fly a jet because no one else could. And then well… “ She tapped her chest “suddenly I had to learn everything. I didn’t even know what a pulse bomb was let alone how to use it. Of course, Overwatch helped but there were a few tricks I use almost every day that I had to learn from someone else. A teacher who most certainly wasn’t using a curriculum they would have approved of.”

Yuna turned around to look Lena in the eye. She took another slug of beer.

“So who were they? This miracle teacher of yours?”

Lena pointed across to the group of ladies “Under the blanket.”

Yuna looked, an eyebrow raised “Dr Ziegler?”

Lena couldn’t stop herself. She burst out laughing. “Oh, I wish. Although back then I’d have been too distracted by her face to have heard anything she said. No, I mean the other one.”

Yuna’s eyes narrowed “Dr O’Deorain?” She paused “Hana doesn’t like her. In fact, I probably shouldn’t repeat some of the things she said about her. They aren’t very polite.”

Lena shrugged “I’ll be the first to admit it, Moira can be a bit of an arse. But she’s one of the smartest people I know and she’s done so much, picked up so many things in her time so she’s always worth talking to. I mean, how many of the people here have work on both sides of the fence? And once you get to know her, you see she isn’t so bad.” She stood up “Here, I'll make the introduction”

Before Yuna could stop her, Lena had pulled out her communicator and fired off a message.

Across the rooftops, Moira pulled her own device from her pocket. Lena watched as she read the message, those eyes flicking up to stare at Lena. After a moment, the slid across to look at Yuna, focusing in on her sitting form. Lena could see the doctor show the message to Angela, watched as the blonde nodded slowly. There was a pause, and then Yuna’s communicator beeped. She pulled it out her pocket, reading it aloud.

“Wednesday, 1300, roof of science lab 4.” Yuna looked up at Lena. “What have you got me into?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise epilogue!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this story, I love the combination of these two so much.
> 
> You might have seen the literal pile of references to other events - some of these will be coming in stories over the next few months. As well as several one-shots, there will be at least two more three-part stories focusing on Widowmaker and Pharah seperately.
> 
> But next week, it's Christmas themed Modern AU Moicy in a six part story.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you liked this, it was so much fun to write!
> 
> Of course, there are still plenty of times left in the day for other stories to be fitted into.
> 
> If you like this work, I love hearing your comments - I'll always try and respond! Alternatively, drop me an email at odeorainfan2150@gmail.com
> 
> Follow me on twitter at https://twitter.com/deorainfan2150 for news on what I'm working on next.
> 
> If you want to throw me a tip, you can find my Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/odeorainfan2150.


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